The Anniversary
by amantedeliteratura
Summary: A small glimpse into Owen and Annabel's future together, about five years after Just Listen.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my story. Although I am not a girly-book type of person, (no offense to those who are) I really liked Owen's character in Sarah Dessen's _Just Listen_. I decided that I would like to write a small piece about the relationship between Annabel and Owen, about five years after the book ends. And yes, I do realize that it is super mushy and sickeningly sweet, but what can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. I hope it brings a little sunshine into your day, even if it doesn't change your whole perspective on life. Enjoy!

P.S- The characters of Annabel and Owen belong fully to Sarah Dessen. The writing is my own.

* * *

The Anniversary

Turning over sleepily, I glanced at the clock. 7:13. My eyes moved over Owen's face, and slowly closed before shooting open again. I sat up quickly, and in my thrashing, almost fell off of the bed. Owen easily caught me and pulled me into his arms.

"Good morning," he whispered, inches from my face. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

I eyed him warily. "How did you get in?" He smiled, and produced a key. I had forgotten, it was my present to him. I had recently moved into this apartment, and it had taken the locksmith awhile to make a new key. It must have been Owen's third key, if you count the combination to my dorm room. We had been dating seriously for almost five years.

Still holding me in his arms, Owen stood up and sat on my bed, placing me sideways on his lap. "Why are you here so early?" I asked him, stretching and yawning for emphasis.

Owen just smiled again, and asked, "What day is it Annabel?" Our faces were only inches apart, and I could feel the light touch of his breath against my cheek. I glanced over at my clock again and smiled. Leave it to Owen not to forget. I opened my mouth to answer his question, but my response was cut off when he moved his mouth to mine. His arm tightened around my waist and pulled me even closer to his body. I moved my arms around his neck. His lips were soft and sweet, but they moved with passion. When we broke apart, his lips curved into a soft smile and he touched his forehead to mine. "Happy anniversary Annabel," he whispered. I couldn't resist touching my lips to his once again.

When my alarm went off at 7:30, we both jumped a little. Such a perfect moment did not deserve an interruption like that. Owen grinned at me. "Time to get up I guess."

I rolled my eyes and hopped off of his lap to stand, pulling him with me. His arms wrapped around my waist once again, and he kissed the top of my head before letting go. "You should get dressed," Owen motioned towards my closet. "We have a big day ahead of us."

I looked at him quizzically. "You might, but I have to work." I had an internship with a company specializing in alternative fuel sources.

He just smiled again, and I couldn't help feel a little week in the knees. It was funny, but even after six years he could still do that to me. "Not today. I've had it arranged for months."

I sighed, exasperated. "Owen, you know I can't miss work…"

"You're not missing it. You have the day off. It has been arranged." He grinned mischievously at me. "Now, I'm going to make breakfast. You get ready."

I rolled my eyes and walked to my closet. "Alright, but no peeking!" As if I thought he would. He would want to, but he wouldn't. That was just Owen. I heard him laugh from the kitchen. I smiled to myself as I pulled clothes out of my bureau.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, truly curious as I sat down to breakfast. I reached over and grabbed the hand that wasn't holding a fork. I twined his fingers with mine, and smiled when they brushed his ring. The "or not" ring. He told me once that it represented the good in his life. He also told me that I was the biggest part of that good.

He looked at our hands, and then gazed at me, guessing what I was thinking. He dropped his fork and touched one palm to my cheek. I relished in the touch. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a pair of tickets. To a musical. I almost cried. He might appreciate the music, and admire the composer, but what other guy would sit through a musical just because I wanted to?

The musical was Beauty and the Beast. It might have seemed fitting to some a couple years ago. I was the pretty model, and Owen was the towering, frightening "beast", with a bad temper. But now, when I saw Owen, I could see nothing but the beauty. Not just his impressive musculature, or his beautiful green eyes, but his beautiful mind, soul and heart. I think he caught me staring a few times as we sat in the dark theater, but I didn't mind.

After the play, he took me out to lunch. No bacon served, unfortunately. I thought that would be the end of our day out, but I was mistaken. We headed out to the fairgrounds, and Owen won me a giant purple panda. It wasn't something I had lusted after my entire life, but the smile on Owen's face when he handed it to me was invaluable.

Late in the afternoon, Owen whisked me away to a "mystery location." It turned out to be the ocean. Owen laid out a blanket on the fine white sand, and pulled me down to lie next to him. He grabbed me and rolled so that I was lying on top of him, the tips of our noses almost touching. I touched my lips gently to his, and he put his hands on the sides of my face, pulling me deeper into the kiss. His tongue ran once over my bottom lip before he rolled over again. Suddenly he stood, and pulled me with him.

"Come for a walk with me?" He asked. I laughed, startled at this quick change of events.

"Sure," I said, "I could do with a walk." Walk, run, sprint, whatever I had to do to be near him.

We headed off along the beach, holding hands, our footsteps making little pools of water behind us. Owen would often spot a shell and bend over to pick it up. Some he just threw back in the water, but he showed all of the interesting ones to me. It was nearing sunset, and Owen bent down to pick up another shell. I kept walking, knowing he would catch up in a moment. When no hand had grasped mine after a few steps, I turned around to see what shell had so occupied his attention. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart started hammering. Owen was down on one knee, with a small black box in his hand. I took a few cautious steps forward. He gazed up at me with his gorgeous green eyes. "Annabel Greene, will you marry me?"

I was speechless, and his beautiful face gazing at me so intently was not helping me order my thoughts. I was silent for a long moment. Then I began cautiously; "Owen, I…"

Before I got any further, he stood up, misinterpreting my silence, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry Annabel." He said, "I'll leave now." He turned slowly and began to take a step away from me.

I called out to him. "Owen, wait!"

He just shook his head, not turning to me. "I understand Annabel," he said, taking another step, and another, taking himself farther and farther from me.

I watched him walk away, my brain not quite working. And then it all snapped into place. Owen had proposed. He thought I didn't want him. He was taking himself away from me. The last thoughts sent my feet flying, running towards him with all the speed I could manage. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached him. I grabbed his arm, and spun him around to face me. Before he could pull away, I pulled his face down to mine, pressing my lips to his with all of the love and passion that I could muster. My efforts left us breathless. Before he could say anything, I took his face in my hands, and gazed into his emerald eyes. "Owen, honey, you have to wait for me to answer."

Warily, but with eyes bright with renewed hope, he asked "and what is your answer?"

"Yes," I told him, pulling his face to mine. "Were you really expecting anything else?"

His eyes moved from mine, looking down. I forced him to look at me again. "Owen, I love you. I love you more than everything else on this earth. When I saw you walking away from me, it was if my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I love you, and the answer will always be yes. Always."

Owen smiled at me, a smile of relief and complete bliss. I felt my knees turning to jelly. "And I, Annabel, I will always love you. You are the good in my life. Anything that was good before has only become better since you came into my life." Owen moved his arms around my waist as he said this. "You are the sun, the flowers and the very air I breathe. I love you like nothing else in this world. Thank you for being mine." With this, he bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips, and then pulled me down to the blanket. Rolling so that he held himself above me, he bent his head down to mine. "How does it feel to be my fiancé?" He whispered in my ear.

I smiled, and began to answer, when he moved his lips to mine. He kissed me fiercely, passionately and lovingly. When our lips were finally free, he stroked my face and murmured, his soft voice husky, "I love you Annabel."


	2. Chapter 2

Due to an overwhelmingly good response to the first chapter, I have continued the story. Once again, it is simply fluff without a distinct plot line. However, it shows a further progression in the relationship of Owen and Annabel. It is my gift to you all, and I hope that it gives you a little bit of joy in your day. And, because it is a gift, if you don't like it, don't say anything. Although the internet provides a sense of anonymity, remember that the person on the other end is just that; a person.

I hope that you all enjoy this piece, and that it makes your days a little bit brighter.

* * *

I woke up smiling. I just had the most wonderful dream. It mainly consisted of Owen, me, the beach, and a ring. I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I sighed wistfully, dragging myself out of bed. A great yawn overtook me and I stood up, stretching. _Long night._ I thought back to the events of last night, and became confused when they began meshing with my dream. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I had a lot of work to catch up on, and I couldn't be lost in daydreams. I went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. A faint tune drifted through the open door. _Who is whistling? _I wondered. Then the gears started moving again. My eyes moved slowly towards my hand. Slowly… slowly… "OH MY GOD!" I yelled, staring at my hand. There it was, a translucent, scintillating stone, intricately woven into a band of silver. I fled the bathroom, dashing through the bedroom and living room, until finally skidding to a stop on the blue and white linoleum.

Owen was standing at the stove, making pancakes and bacon. He turned around to look at me, standing stock still and staring at him wide-eyed. A small smile crossed his lips. "Good morning Annabel." I couldn't resist. I threw myself across the room at him, throwing my arms and legs around him and planting an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning Owen," I beamed, planting another kiss on his lips.

"Well," Owen mused, "If I had known you would be this enthusiastic, I would have made you breakfast more often." He placed me back on my feet.

Still smiling, I held up my left hand, wiggling my fingers. "Oh," he said, "so that's what you're on about. You've decided to keep me?"

"There never had to be a decision," I said, touching his lips with one finger, "there was never more than one answer to begin with."

Owen took my hand, and kissed the ring. "You make me so happy when you say things like that. Happy enough to jump into your arms, but I couldn't, because I wouldn't want to hurt my fiancé."

I smiled sheepishly. Owen grinned. "I said my fiancé, not yours. You can jump into my arms anytime you like." With that, he swooped me up into his arms, kissing me on the forehead.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I smiled. "I like when you say that."

"Say what?" Owen asked. "Arms?"

"No dear," I said fondly, running my fingers through his golden hair. "Fiancé."

"You know what? I like it too." He kissed me lightly on the lips, then added "it sounds much better than betrothed."

"I agree." I said, giggling a little. Owen set me down again, and turned back to the stove where the bacon was burning. He frantically scraped, trying to get the bacon unstuck and muttered under his breath. I got out some plates, napkins and silverware, setting them on the kitchen table. Owen dished some pancakes and crisp, slightly blackened, bacon onto my plate, then heaped them onto his own. "Got enough there Owen?" I joked, eyeing the mountain of food.

He rolled his eyes at me, sticking a fork into the top pancake. "I'm a growing boy Annabel. I need fuel."

"I'm not so sure about the boy part," I said, admiring the contours of Owen's impressive muscles. He blushed.

I finished my food and stood up to clear the plates. I kissed the top of his head, and told him I had to get dressed.

"I'll join you. I have work today too." Owen got up and followed me into the bedroom. I opened the closet door and began sifting through my clothes, searching for something to wear. Owen squeezed by me to the shelves that held a significant amount of his wardrobe. "You know," he mused, "I think I have more clothes here than at my place."

I thought for a moment, still searching through my clothes. "It might be easier… to have your whole wardrobe here."

Owen was silent for a moment, and then I felt strong arms wrap around my waist. Owen's breath tickled my ear. "Are you suggesting," he murmured, "what I think you're suggesting?"

"Well," I replied, "we _are_ engaged now. We better get used to living with each other. And this way, you can make me breakfast every morning." I twisted until we were facing each other. Owen broke out into a gorgeous, ecstatic smile. I couldn't help but smile with him. He pulled me tightly against his chest, and kissed me fervently until I had to break off for air.

Slipping out of his arms, I grabbed the outfit I had picked out and headed to the bathroom. Owen called after me. "Hey, where are you going? I wasn't done kissing you!"

I laughed, and stuck my head out of the doorway. "Shower. I have work today dear."

Owen looked at me impishly. "Can I help?" He grinned.

"Not today," I said, winking suggestively before closing the door.


	3. Chapter 3

This is just a very short continuation of the relationship of Owen and Annabel. I hope you enjoy it, and like always, don't expect another. Although, who knows?

* * *

We lay on our backs, watching the stars. My head was nestled under his arm, and he held me close. The waves slowly lapped against the shore, and the salty sea air stirred our hair from where it lay. We watched the sky. The moon was bright, and the stars iridescent. They scintillated, dying out just briefly enough to be recognized, and then they were back, full flare.

Owen began to gently play with my hair. "Annabel," he said, pushing a strand away from my forehead, "what do you think about when you look at the stars?"

It was Owen, so I had to answer him honestly. "Mostly I think about you…" I trailed off a little, embarrassed at this confession.

"Why would that be?" Owen prompted, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.

"Looking up there at infinity makes life seem minuscule, but living it with you makes it worth the effort." I blushed, and I could tell that Owen was smiling. "So what do you think about?" I asked Owen, hoping to give him a taste of his own medicine. It had no effect. He replied immediately.

"I think about how immeasurably large the universe is. How we can never reach the end of the universe, and even if we could, what would we possibly find there? And then my head hurts, and I have to go get some ibuprofen."

I stifled a giggle. Typical Owen.

He laughed a bit with me, but then grew silent. He moved so that he was on his side, gazing into my face. "And then I think of you. And I don't need the ibuprofen anymore." I smiled at this, and he smiled his deliciously sweet smile back at me. "I think of how incredibly lucky I am to have you, and how the dimensions of the universe pale in comparison to what I feel for you."

I couldn't help it. I let out a giggle. Then two and then three, and soon Owen joined in, both of us lying on our sides, cracking up. When the laughter began to die down, Owen leaned over me and kissed me deeply. "I meant every word," he murmured into my neck.

"I did too," I whispered into his ear, as he kissed his way up my neck until his lips reached mine. Then there was no talking.


End file.
